Thanet district Council press release
Think before you breed, think before you buy - that’s the message from three East Kent councils, including Thanet, following a growing number of Staffordshire Bull Terriers ending up on the streets.
The kennel that takes dogs from Shepway, Dover and Thanet councils currently has 22 Staffordshire Bull Terriers waiting for new homes. Out of the 334 dogs taken in during the last 12 months, 104 were Staffies and only 47 of these were claimed.
Among the 13 currently at the kennel are two ‘long termers’ - a female, affectionately called ‘no ears’ because someone has illegally cropped her ears and a Staffordshire cross called ‘Lully Boy’ - who have been at the kennels for nine months.
The picture in East Kent reflects a growing national problem and Staffordshire Bull Terriers top the ‘unwanted dog’ lists.
Margaret Todd MBE from the Lord Whiskey Animal Sanctuary at Stelling Minnis has 10 Staffordshire Bull Terriers needing homes and she says that some will remain at the sanctuary, which has a policy of not destroying unwanted dogs - for the rest of their lives. “Several of them are not going anywhere. They are taking up valuable kennel space and we are turning other dogs away because we simply don’t have enough room.”
Although Lord Whiskey runs a veterinary clinic offering reduced bills for people on benefits, Margaret says not enough owners have their dogs speyed or neutered. “Some people look on breeding as an easy way of making money. But they don’t think enough about what is going to happen to the puppies. Many end up with people who haven’t got the lifestyles to cope with them.”
Cllr. Shirley Tomlinson, Cabinet Member for Commercial and Environmental Services, said: “Genuine dog lovers must be horrified by the statistics. All these unwanted dogs had a home at some stage, somewhere that should have been a home for the rest of their lives. A dog is forever, not whenever and people need to think very carefully before taking on a puppy or a dog, as it’s a lifelong commitment.”
Anyone who believes they could take on a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and offer it a good, permanent home should call 01304 823133.
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This Is awful,everyone who wants to have a dog should have some sort of licence and be vetted to prove they are able to look after an animal-Staffies are everwhere and more often than not ,not on leads and are a danger to other dogs(my little spaniel got ripped to pieces by one,though happily she made a full recovery)
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